Quote:
Originally Posted by bustedbenz
So here's my questions.
1. Does the pressure in the cold overnight system indicate definitively that my head is in fact cracked, no matter how much I thought I wasn't mistreating it? Is there any OTHER place I should look for the reason for my morning pressure and for my disappearing and then reappearing coolant?
2. Where, geographically under the hood, can I read my head casting number, with the engine in place, mounted, everything just as it is when I drive it, to check if it's a #14 or something else, and likewise to check potential donors for their casting number? Is this information visible from a fully installed engine? If so, on what part, behind which other parts, near which widgets, etc, can I find this information?
3. Is it logical that I could have a cracked head, if that is indeed the problem, and have no oil contamination or antifreeze contamination? I know an oil analysis would show the presence of glycol that my eye can't detect, but the oil isn't going foamy, it doesn't look watered down on the dipstick, and I can find no evidence that the antifreeze has entered the crankcase. I can also find absolutely no traces of oil around the expansion tank area. I know a head crack and a head gasket failure are two entirely different things, but I see those symptoms mentioned occasionally in both contexts.
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Firstly, I sense the trepidation in your words and I believe you should just take a step back and thoughtfully consider the possibilities. The vehicle can be driven perfectly well just the way that it is and you can carefully make plans for the future.
1. No, pressure in the cooling system does not definitively mean that the head is cracked. It's not a good sign, however, the sign can be a blown head gasket just as well as a cracked head. The fact that the engine is consuming coolant tends to reinforce that a problem definitely exists...........be it a head gasket or a cracked head.
2. Get yourself a small dental mirror or hand held mirror. Shove the mirror directly below the crossover pipe to that you can read the numbers that are directly above the #2 injector on the driver's side of the engine. That's the casting number and you cannot read it without that mirror unless your eyes are much better than mine. If it's the original head, it most certainly will be a #14 casting (group of two digits that are just before the final group of two).
3. It's unlikely that you will have a blown head gasket or a cracked head without some glycol contamination in the oil..........but, it's not impossible. You won't see the glycol contamination until the problem worsens. You don't want to wait until that point because glycol is a problem for the journal bearings on the lower end. Get yourself an oil analysis to improve the diagnosing capabilities. It's $20. well spent and we probably won't need to be making a bunch of guesses.
Post back on this thread with the results.